The IPG team is packing its bags for this year’s London Book Fair, and we’re really looking forward to three days in the company of members.

Much of publishing will decamp to Olympia’s exhibition halls from Tuesday 10 to Thursday 12 April—and as ever, our collective stand will be one of the liveliest parts of the whole fair. We will have more than 90 members exhibiting there, and many others using it as a base and place for meetings. Space on the stand sold out months ago, which we hope shows its popularity among members as a straightforward way of exhibiting and a companionable place to be.

But it also reflects the vibrancy of independent publishing at the moment. Nielsen BookScan figures show that indies’ sales rose well above the rate of the general market in 2017. In areas where a large number of sales are not recorded by BookScan, like educational, academic and many specialist sectors, performance was just as good—overseas as well as in the UK. Despite all the challenges, independents have a lot to be excited about in 2018, and the London Book Fair will be the perfect place to witness our sector’s diversity, creativity and ambition.

If you are visiting the Fair but not exhibiting on our collective stand at Olympia, do call by to say hello: you can find us at 6E70. It will also be the place to head at the end of the day on Wednesday 11 April, when we will host our renowned London Book Fair party, supported this year by Printondemand-Worldwide. Our team will be on hand to provide information and an exclusive offer to publishers new to the IPG—six weeks of free membership for those signing up at LBF—so if you know anyone who might benefit from being part of our community, please send them our way!